The State released 2012-13 school grades on Friday, July 26, 2013 and one of the big winners was Fort Myers Beach Elementary School, jumping from a "C” grade in 2011-12 to a solid "A” grade for this past school year.

With 98% of students tested, the school’s score came in at 569, well above the "A” cut-off of 525. Scoring solid gains in the numbers of children who scored satisfactorily in reading and math, the grade received an substantial assist from the numbers of students who improved their scores.

Come to the Lani Kai on Saturday for the 8th
Annual Blood and Bone Marrow Drive

Kenny Conidaris is 19 now and in remission but that doesn't mean he plans to ever stop helping to save lives. The beach native was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia (SAA) when he was 12, but since he has yet to find a match for a bone marrow transplant, there is always the worry that his disease will return. Plus - with about 10,000 people needing a bone marrow transplant every year, the need for blood and marrow is greater than ever. For those reasons, his family will again be hosting their annual Kenny Conidaris Blood and Marrow Drive at the Lani Kai this Saturday from 9am to 6pm.

Islanders seeking relief from excessive airplane noise should be finding their neighborhoods a little more peaceful these days. Though the final ruling from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) won't be out until December or January, Mayor Alan Mandel told us that at least four airlines are voluntarily asking their pilots to go along with recommendations made by Town Council and approved by the Lee County Port Authority (LCPA) - as well as county commissioners - earlier this year.

Get out your e-Readers and start downloading free books. With the rise in popularity of new gadgets, like the Nook from Barnes & Noble and Amazon’s Kindle, more libraries are investing in these e-Reader technologies and expanding their catalogues with e-Books. The Fort Myers Beach Library is no exception.

Ronn Raszetnik, Electronic Services Librarian, or e-Librarian, for Fort Myers Beach since the beginning of the year, was introduced at the Library Board Meeting in February.